This present invention relates to fuel caps, and particularly, to a push-on filler neck cap. More particularly, the present invention relates to a filler neck cap which includes a gripping mechanism which enables a user to push the cap into the filler neck quickly and easily to establish a liquid fuel and vapor seal therein.
Conventional partial-turn cam-on caps and multiple-turn threaded caps are well-known types of caps for use in closing filler necks. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,877,733 to Harris and 3,820,680 to Friend. Although fuel caps are currently in widespread use, it would be desirable to provide an alternative cap that is simpler to install on and remove from a filler neck.
More and more gasoline stations are being equipped with self-service bays and are requiring that patrons fill their own fuel tanks. Some of those drivers have found that it is difficult to install a conventional partial-turn or multiple-turn filler neck cap during refueling. A cap that is readily installed onto and removed from a filler neck by a user without a lot of effort and that is configured to establish a sturdy sealed connection between the cap and the filler neck consistently during use would be a welcomed improvement over conventional caps. What is needed is a push-on filler neck cap that can be installed easily in the fill passageway of a filler neck.
According to the present invention, a push-on cap is provided for engaging a filler neck. The cap includes means for closing the mouth of the filler neck. This closing means includes a housing and an end member which is coupled to the housing while being axially movable relative to the housing. The cap further includes means for gripping the filler neck in response to the sliding axially inward movement of the housing into the filler neck. The gripping means is mounted in the housing for movement between a filler neck-engaging position and a filler neck-disengaging position.
In preferred embodiments of the present invention, a push-on cap is provided which slides into a filler neck to establish a liquid fuel and vapor seal therein. The cap .Iadd.includes a closure for closing the filler neck and .Iaddend.is retained in the filler neck by .Iadd.a closure retainer apparatus that is illustratively .Iaddend.at least one latch .[.which.]. .Iadd.that .Iaddend.extends out from the housing and into a gripping portion of the filler neck. The latch is spring-loaded and moves into .[.the.]. .Iadd.a .Iaddend.housing against the spring as the cap is first pushed into the filler neck and then snaps out from the housing under the urging of the spring after the cap is pushed far enough into the filler neck to cause a liquid fuel and vapor seal to be established between the cap and the filler neck. Illustratively, the cap includes three spring-loaded latches that are movable in radially outward and inward directions relative to the axis of rotation of the cap and arranged in spaced-apart relation around the circumference of the cap.
The housing itself has a body that is cylindrical in shape. This cylindrical body includes a disc-shaped support platform formed therein .Iadd.that carries the closure retainer apparatus.Iaddend., a rod extending in an upward direction from the support platform, and a hollow cylindrical mounting body extending in a downward direction from the opposite side of the support platform. Furthermore, .Iadd.the closure retainer apparatus comprises at least one latch and .Iaddend.a slot is formed in the cylindrical body above the support platform for each latch. Each latch rests upon the support platform and protrudes through one of the slots.
When the user initially pushes the cap into the filler neck, a spring, which extends between each latch and the rod, yields to permit the latch to slide radially inwardly through the slot aperture into the housing. Once each latch has been retracted into the housing, the cap easily slides down into the filler neck until its sealing ring contacts a seal seat in the filler neck. At this point, the mounting body slides into the end member positioning the slot aperture adjacent to the gripping portion in the filler neck. The springs then snap the latches out through the apertures and into the gripping portion formed in the filler neck to lock the cap in the filler neck at three points and to secure a liquid fuel and vapor seal between the end member of the cap and the filler neck.
Ideally, the cap includes an internal mechanism that provides means for moving the latches simultaneously away from the gripping portion of the filler neck so that the cap will be disengaged from the filler neck where it can be withdrawn easily. The moving means is a donut-shaped core which is positioned in the housing above the latches so that the rod extends through a central aperture formed in the donut-shaped core. The core rotates independently from the housing in response to rotation of a handle cover relative to the filler .[.necks.]. .Iadd.neck .Iaddend.thereby camming the latches through the apertures so that the latches are moved in unison to their retracted cap-releasing positions inside the housing.
The core includes a cam for engaging and moving each latch during rotation of the core. Moreover, each latch includes a cam follower that is positioned to engage a cam so that the cam moves the cam followers through a pre-determined arc of rotation as the core is rotated during removal of the cap from the filler neck. This camming action causes the latches to slide through the apertures and into the housing in a direction away from the gripping portion formed in the filler neck. The core is also coupled to a handle cover connected to the core so that the user must only turn the handle cover one-eighth of a rotation in a counter-clockwise or cap-removal direction to both release the liquid fuel and vapor seal and to unfasten the cap from the filler neck.
A user of a push-on fuel cap in accordance with the present invention will find that the internal gripping mechanism which is positioned in the housing and which secures a liquid fuel and vapor seal in the filler neck makes the cap easier to use than traditional fuel caps. Furthermore, the partial turn-to-remove feature of the cap which functions to pull the internal gripping mechanism away from the filler neck also provides advantages over traditional fuel caps by allowing the user to slide the cap out of the filler neck easily rather than requiring the user to turn the entire cap in the filler neck one or more revolutions.
Additional objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of preferred embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.